


Sweet Disposition - A Human Compact

by Simirulz204



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Minor Character Death, Pre-Mass Effect 1, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:54:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28528059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simirulz204/pseuds/Simirulz204
Summary: Thane Krios was given to the compact shortly after birth, his training and skills however were ill-equipped to deal with the arrival of a seven year old human girl on Kahje. It would be his responsibility to teach her the way of the assassin, to protect her and guide her throughout her training. Little did he know she would change his life forerever.A pre-ME1 story running through ME:1 - ME:2.Please leave comments if you can - it keeps me going.
Relationships: Thane Krios/Female Shepard
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

‘’This one reads a life form. This one recommends a thorough investigation with caution.’’

‘’As you command.’’

The corridors of the SSV Sheena were silent as a tomb save for the faint static hum of the red lights circling in silent alarm. The stench of smoke permeated the air; the sight in front of him appearing grey and stale as he rounded a corner gun in hand.

Upon approach to the citadel their ship had picked up a distress signal in the black just outside the Attican Traverse; a garbled and panicked message speaking of death and slavery before communications cut out. He checked his omni-tool and confirmed that there was indeed a faint flickering life sign in the mess hall as he surveyed the interior maps.

Leaning out of cover he sent up a silent prayer to Amonkira, the lord of hunters; a veritable floor of corpses lay before him in varying stages of decomposition. He judges the amount of time for this sort of decay must at least be a week or two since death. Mouths agape in silent screams, electrical instrumentation protruding from their necks, blood coating the floor as if someone had decided to decorate with mulled wine.

A shot from a pistol rang out across the room and Koda ducked back behind the wall, cursing his lack of willpower when it came to ignoring the images of the dead before him. A stifled squeak reaches his attuned ears; he cocks a brow, daring to lean out again.

‘’If you come closer, I’ll shoot!’’ the voice was small, childlike and he trills in disbelief. Spotting the source of fire, he curses his eidetic memory as the sight before him would stay with him for all his days.

_A little girl, no more than six or seven, standing in a sea of blood, coated, white night dress stained black from dirt, shaking hands grip a weapon far too heavy for her arm, a fierce scowl on her mouth, ferocity in her stance and yet her eyes leaked water as the sadness within them overflowed._

‘’I am not here to hurt you d’lana.’’ Koda attempts to reassure her, his voice a deep bass that projects calm.

‘’Who are you?’’ He watches her wipe her brow, the blood on her arm smearing across her nose and he takes a breath before he responds.

‘’I am Koda. I am Drell. ‘’

‘’You’re not Ba – batwarian?’’

‘’Batarian?’’ he questions and hears a growl from her. ‘’No, I am not a Batarian.’’

‘’Come closer so that I can see you.’’ She shuffles backwards slowly, the sickening squelch of blood beneath her bare feet loud in the room.

‘’I am coming out. Do not shoot me.’’ He implores but he keeps the safety off on his weapon as he holsters it - entering the room with arms at his sides, wrists bared in surrender.

‘’What happened here d’lana?’’

‘’My names not d’lana.’’ She pouts and despite the situation he has found himself in he feels a smile tug at his lips. ‘’D’lana means little one in my language. My apologies.’’

‘’What do you want?’’ she asks sternly, weapon still shakily raised at his hips.

‘’I am here to save you.’’ His simple statement has her lowering her weapon a fraction, a tremble to her lower lip.

‘’They killed my mommy. And my daddy. And my big sister.’’ She begins to hiccup, the struggle to not weep clear as her tiny hand bunched into a fist.

‘’Yes.’’ He has no comfort to offer her, no words that would heal her heart, instead he bends slowly on his haunches and reaches out a dark, purple scaled hand in her direction.

‘’What is your name d’lana?’’

‘’My name is Jane.’’ With the admission she begins to cry in silence as she pads hap hazardously over to him and takes his hand. No sound is uttered from her lips, but he can almost feel the radiating waves of pain coming from each tear that fell slowly on her cheeks.

‘’Would you like to come with me Jane?’’

Uncharacteristically, he scoops up the waif of a human girl in his arms and she welcomes the physical comfort he provides; the winding of her arms around his neck and the shuddering breaths he feels against frills evoking a once thought non-existent paternal instinct.

‘’Where are we going? I can’t leave mommy alone here.’’

‘’They will accompany us. We will see that they are...’’ he struggles to find the word that fits her culture ‘’ taken to the sea and you can bid them farewell properly.’’

‘’Will you stay with me?’’ she mutters into the crook of his neck. His chest reverberates in a thrumming song of reassurance. ‘’Yes, for as long as I can.’’

Leaving the room, he is acutely aware of the stench of death, but more so of the weight of the weapon now resting on his shoulder, her grip still tight on the gun. He secures his arms around her more tightly as a soft snore reaches his ear, the girl finally succumbing to exhaustion.

The weapon clatters to the ground but he does not stop to retrieve it, instead heading for his ship as the need to get this young child out of this nightmare took precedence.

The Hanar who had taken to waiting at the airlock shimmered with bioluminescent colours and he shook his head as Koda approached.

‘’This one does not understand why there is a female human in your embrace.’’

‘’She is a d’lana, an innocent. I would recommend her for the Compact.’’

‘’She is not Drell. This one must refuse.’’

‘’She may not be Drell, but she has a debt of gratitude to pay for her rescue. I would vouch for her.’’

Koda was determined to insist to the very end until his proposal was accepted. He thanks Arashu that his twenty-three years in the Compact has given him a certain standing and sway. Second-class citizen he may be to some in the Illuminated Primacy, but he was their number one ranking assassin to date and that meant something in the right circles.

‘’This one will consult with the primacy. This one will permit the human to board its ship, under the condition that it is looked after by you.’’

‘’I will tend to all her needs, Cosindius.’’ He bows with a duck of his head as he respectfully passed the Hanar that had conducted him into the Compact.

‘’This one will send in our service crew to retrieve the remains of the humans aboard. It has been discovered that the ship was headed to a farming colony on Mindoir.’’

He pauses in the airlock and pats the girls back as she mewls in despair, a whispered murmur of mommy before she settles back to sleep. He would make inquiries once in his cabin to the names and previous locations of the murdered aboard and inform any surviving members of their fates.

Upon reaching his cabin he carefully lowers the child onto his cot, her alien features causing him to pause as he observes the micro expressions now playing around her eyes. Her hair was matted with blood and dirt; her face equally as covered with congealed liquids. He hummed his dissatisfaction.

Judging by the dirt beneath her fingernails she must have scraped and survived through the ducts of the ship and by eating whatever rations had managed to survive the carnage.

Preparing a basin of tepid water, soaking a cloth of pure white; he begins the arduous process of wiping her face clean without waking her. She would have to be bathed and thoroughly cleansed but he would leave that to the priestesses on the Citadel when they arrived or - Gods willing when she woke, she could attempt the cleanse herself. He would need to inform her human Alliance of the fate of the ship and discover if the girl had any surviving family members before inducting her, but he knew the fate of orphans in human society; the forgotten and the lost. He had faith that he could provide her with a better life.

Her tenacity - and dare he say it audacity - to fire a shot at him had impressed him. Even though he recalls the shaking of her hands, the wobble of her knees he also keenly remembered the fire in her eyes and her determination to live. The Compact would benefit from having her within its ranks. He would do his best to mould her once she came of age, after her training.

He had up until this moment considered himself deep in battle sleep. The last emotion he had shown having been the funeral of his own parents ten years past. Keprals syndrome had replaced his brief memories of them with ones of gasping and pain. He had not spoken to his parents since he was four but when he came of age and graduated training, he had kept eyes and ears on them throughout his life.

He felt a kinship with her, a bond that one would normally feel for a child he supposed. Wiping the last smudge of dirt off her forehead he brushed a lock of her fiery red hair out of her face and covered her with a quilt from his trunk.

Sat at his desk he opened a communication to a contact within the Alliance – briefly explaining the ships position, condition and finding the girl aboard.

A few minutes later he received a response; his heart rate skipped a beat as unfamiliar anxiety filled him.

_‘Checked ships manifest of passengers. Cross referenced with records of Earth on database. Child has no living family members. Alliance will not take responsibility or retaliate for attack as it is not within council space. Take her.’_

His heart clenched at knowing that the child was truly alone. It was decided then. He would care for her, take a vow of commitment, and ensure that she would prosper. No one would interfere with his decision.

****

‘’Here you will train until you have completed and excelled at the tasks presented to you. To be a part of the Illuminated Primacy is a great honour.’’

She squeezes his hand, a strong tight grip for a girl so small and he trills encouragingly down to her which causes her to relax and cock a quizzical brow in his direction.

‘’Drell communicate in unspoken ways as well. You will come to know the different sounds, the different vibrations, and meanings. To do so will be difficult at first – I’m afraid to say that your species will be looked down upon, your peers may even tease you or coax you into fighting. I ask that you rise above, that you remember that everyone has worth no matter their species or race.’’

‘’So even if they hate me, I should be kind to them? That doesn’t sound very fair.’’ Her voice floats up to him in a whisper and he hums softly. ‘’Life is never fair but that does not give you the right to make life more difficult for others.’’

‘’My mother once said that people hate what they don’t understand. That we should teach them instead of returning their feelings.’’

‘’Your mother was a wise woman.’’

‘’Yes.’’ He looks down at her face and regrets the turn their conversation has taken but he is gratified when he sees no tears.

The journey back to Kahje has taken a month of travel and in that time, they have gotten to know one another quite well. She is overly attached to him which is to be expected and surprisingly he did not mind the hugs and clinginess of human hands reaching for his own when they walked the halls together.

‘’I will come and visit you as often as I can, but I have business to attend to throughout the year that will often take me away for several days … sometimes a few months depending on my contract.’’

‘’So, I will be all alone again?’’ he feels her grip tighten once more and bends down on one knee to grasp her tiny face with both hands.

‘’Being alone is not a bad thing. Being comfortable alone means you are strong enough to survive anything. You will find someone one day that will always be with you but for now, whilst you are young, you need to focus on becoming comfortable. Be strong. You have already survived one of the worst things that can happen to you.’’

‘’Ah, this one welcomes you to the training centre for new recruits. This one’s name is Delandir.’’

‘’Greetings. I trust everything is in order for her arrival.’’ He is aware that Jane is viewing her surroundings with a certain level of fear and hostility, but he gently squeezes her hand, snapping her to attention.

‘’This one has arranged courses and accommodation for the human candidate. Follow, please.’’

The rain batters the glass roof of the domed building, a floating rack of orbs circle one another in the centre of the room and the Asari VI stoically greets those that walk past. As they enter the main doors leading to the dormitories Koda glances around him with a nostalgic purr rattling in his chest. The training mats laid spread out in the centre of the hall, the equipment stacked neatly against the walls – all the hours he spent in this room honing his skills and body. A smile lifted the corner of his lips and Jane tugs on his hand, but he shakes his head and motions for silence.

A few corridors later and Delandir came to a floating halt in front of a door, communicating silently with him through bioluminescence, Koda bows respectfully. The Hanar leaves them alone and he coaxes Jane through the door with a smile.

There is nothing miraculous about the room. The walls are grey, the floor is grey, the room is washed with nothing but grey except for the white of the linen sheets on the cot in the centre of the box room. A single table and chair are positioned in the corner, its surfaces bare and sterile. He lets go of Janes’ hand and takes two strides forward and she follows automatically.

‘’This will be your home for the next few years. It was once my room. Here I learned to centre myself, look within, calm the raging storms of my emotions, and focus on the tasks at hand.’’

‘’Its… boring. There are no colours. And no windows.’’ Jane murmurs, dragging her tiny fingers across the sheets before she sits on the edge of the bed.

‘’The Hanar believe that a path to a clear mind and purpose - is to keep your surroundings as uncluttered and devoid of distraction as possible. The more you must look at the less you see. You will learn to treasure the things you do receive and discard those that serve no purpose.’’

‘’Will I be able to keep the things I have now?’’ she opens her left hand to reveal a bumblebee brooch and his omni tool provides him with a brief description of the insect.

‘’A token of your past?’’

‘’It was my mothers. She always used to wear it on her collar. I was bad. The day… the day they were killed I sneaked into her room and I was looking at it when Sissy walked in and almost caught me. I didn’t have enough time to put it back before...’’

Koda watches her head droop and her shoulders curl inwards, her knees coming up to her chest as she rolls the pendant around on her outstretched hand.

‘’You may keep it. May it serve as a reminder that you are loved. May it prove to be motivation to protect those that need protecting.’’

‘’Thank you.’’ Her green eyes bore into his black ones and he feels a rush of emotions he quickly stifles.

‘’I will be on planet for the next two days. I have unfinished business on the Citadel and my presence is required. I will be back in a month to check on you.’’

‘’You’re leaving?’’ she jumps from the bed and reaches for him only to stop mid-stretch and pull her arm back. He observes the conflicting emotions that form on her face, the crinkling of lines around her eyes as she frowns, the pout of her mouth as she contemplates an unspoken thought. The final resignation that things are they way they are as she nods and sits back down.

‘’Before I go, I have someone to introduce you to. This boy will help you navigate the paths between species and help you get accustomed to your new surroundings.’’

Koda presses a few keys on his omni tool and waits for a corresponding ping. Five minutes pass in silence, Jane still toying with her bumblebee pin, him in a light state of meditation.

The ping at the door requesting entry is jarring to them both and each visibly flinch before he chuckles lightly. This place was alarming in its ability to make him feel at ease. Off world he could never take a break, his mind constantly stirring with tactics, judgement of body movement and assessments of targets. Only here could he lull himself into a false sense of security.

‘’Enter.’’

Jane lifts her head to welcome her new visitor and a smile he has never seen before breaks out across her tiny face.

‘’You’re green!’’ a loud laugh cracks through the room and both Drell cringe at the sound. ‘’That’s my favourite colour!’’

The boys pink frills on his throat darken to a maroon hue and Koda laughs despite himself. The boy bows deeply in acknowledgment of his presence, obviously flustered by the strange compliment given by Jane.

‘’I am your …ambassador. I have been instructed to look after this human until such a time as when she no longer requires it.’’ As expected, his voice is still high in his youth, the deep bass that comes naturally to their male species only made an appearance at fourteen.

‘’Thank you. This is Jane Black. She is a new candidate here and will need guidance and patience to complete her training. It is my intention to make her my ward. I trust that you will fulfill your duties to the best of your abilities.’’ His tone while not stern is firm, a silent demand.

‘’Of course, Sir. ‘’ the boy trills and bows again.

‘’Good. I will leave you two to get acquainted. I have a small matter to take care of.’’ He hesitates a moment as a flash of alarm crosses Jane’s face, but with a small smile and trill of calm he exits the room.

‘’I am Thane Krios.’’


	2. Chapter 2

‘’How old are you?’’ Jane questions him and he clasps his hands behind his back.

‘’I am eight years old. I started training at six years of age.’’

He watches how her eyes roam over his face, no doubt taking in the black scattered scales that dot his head, her eyes widen when his frills expand with each breath. A warble of embarrassment vibrates through him, but he clears his throat and steps towards her hand outstretched.

He can sense that she is hesitant to take his offered hand but after a moment or two where he seriously considered withdrawing it, she places her strange unwebbed fingers in his hand and gives a perfunctory shake before quickly stepping back.

‘’How old are you if I may ask?’’ Ever polite, he forgot that most species his age did not adhere to the same etiquette and manners that have been instilled in his kind.

‘’I am seven. Why are you all different colours?’’

The question while not rude per say surprises him.

‘’We vary in colours the same way your hair and skin do within your own species.’’

‘’Oh. Okay.’’ She nods before going back to twirling something around in her hand.

Thane scrambles for something to say before the awkward silence becomes uncomfortable and opts to tell her what her training here will be like.

‘’Your training will begin tomorrow morning at 0600 hours. However, you will be expected to rise at 0500 hours to partake in a morning meal with your age group. From there you will be – ‘’

‘’Are you not in any of my classes?’’ he watches her strange pink mouth pout and shakes his head.

‘’I am in several of your classes but mostly those of the athletic kind. Sparring, combat training… we will share weapons training courses but for the academic training you are in a class below me.’’

‘’Oh.’’ He hears a sigh escape her and quirks a scaled brow. ‘’ I was hoping to have a friend in my classes.’’

‘’We do not make friends here. Our purpose is to become a weapon and an asset which the Hanar can utilize to better the Illuminated Primacy.’’

The concept of friendship was alien to him. He had never once considered socialising with any of the other Drell candidates, all preferring to spend their free time in meditation or improving their skills.

‘’Would you be my friend though?’’ her green eyes are sincere in her question and he is taken aback by it. ‘’I…’’ he wrings his hands in front of him in thought ‘’ I have never had a friend before. As we will be spending time together in an official capacity as my duty dictates … I see no reason why we cannot form a relationship that goes further than mere acquaintances.’’

He meets her eyes, and her eyebrows are drawn down low in confusion.

‘’Why do you speak like an old person? Does everyone speak like that here? What does that even mean what you said? Geez… ‘’ she crosses her legs and continues to mutter beneath her breath.

‘’I... Yes, we can be friends.’’ He amends his speech, noticing for the first time how different it was in comparison to her own, that she would consider him to speak as an elder both flattered and vexed him.

A grin spreads on her face and he watches closely as the action forms small lines around her eyes, the colour almost brightening. The longer he stares, the redder the skin on her cheeks become and he is transfixed by it.

‘’Stop staring!’’ she grabs a pillow and covers half of her face and he turns his back to her.

‘’My apologies. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. Drell have perfect memory … I was recalling the colour of my mother’s dress which is the same shade as your face at present.’’

Her demeanour changed drastically at the mention of his mother. Daring to look over his shoulder he felt alarmed at seeing her expression. Such sadness.

‘’My mother is dead. You and Koda are all that I got now.’’ She whispers to him and he knows that whatever he says next will define their friendship.

‘’I will remain at your side.’’

****

June

‘’Again.’’

He watched her struggle to disassemble and reassemble a Sidewinder pistol, this being her forty-sixth attempt. The parts were clumsily dropped between her too many fingers, the scope clattering to the ground with a thud. She fiddles with insectoid brooch on her collar and takes a steadying breath.

‘’I’m trying. Its harder than it looks.’’ She mumbles with a slight tone of frustration.

‘’Were this a life and death situation you would be dead.’’

He falters as she scowls at him. ‘’I know that.’’

He chirps an apology at her and the sound draws her attention. ‘’What does that sound mean… the chirping?’’

‘’Chirping?’’ Thane asks bewildered. ‘’Well, yeah that’s what it sounds like to me. A bird chirping first thing in the morning.’’

‘’We are not birds. We are Drell.’’ He says confused by the comparison.

‘’I know that too. Tell me what it means please. I’ve been struggling to speak to the others in my class. Mostly because they barely talk at all and when they do all they do is make noises at each other.’’

‘’I see. Come.’’ He motions for her to come stand in front of him. Taking her strange hand, he places it palm facing against his chest. He rumbles a series of vibrations and sounds. She giggles and a smile creeps over his face without his permission.

‘’The sound that I made to your ears can roughly be interpreted as an apology.’’ He chirps again, her head tilting to the side as her eyes close.

‘’Show me more please?’’ her curiosity is barely concealed beneath her ever-growing enthusiasm.

He takes her through the most common silent communications.

Please. Thank you. Forgiveness. A request for permission. Sadness. Apologies. Anger. Offense. Humour.

‘’I think you’ll have to show me every day so that I can remember properly.’’ Jane drops her hand and returns to her pistol; her sleeve rides up and Thane gasps as he sees a collection of fingertip shaped bruises.

‘’Explain.’’ He commands and she wrenches her arm out of his hold. ‘’It’s nothing. Just some other kids showing me how much stronger Drell are compared to humans.’’

‘’Who?’’ his words are biting but he is outraged on her behalf. She is a female, his junior and he has been charged with her care.

In the six months she has been here she has dogged his every waking moment. She has become his shadow. He has gotten so accustomed to her presence and non-stop chatter that he could barely remember what life consisted of before meeting her. He looked upon her as a little sister and his protective instincts flared as he observed her attempting to hide her arm behind her back.

‘’Tell me who hurt you Jane.’’

‘’No.’’

‘’I will request permission to review the security footage then.’’ He states before heading for the door. Within a breath he was propelled forward face down as she straddled his back and wound her legs between his own, locking him to the ground.

‘’Please don’t. All the other kids here hate me. If I tell on them it will only get worse. Koda told me this would happen. I’m okay.’’ She pleads and he growls, the resonating thrum of his chest surprising her enough that he knocked her off with ease.

‘’Very well. But the minute they draw blood I will act. You are under my care. I would receive a severe reprimand if anything untoward befell you.’’

She made a strange bubble-blowing sound with her lips and by her upturned eyebrow he could only assume it was a sound of derision.

‘’I can take care of myself.’’

‘’Evidently not.’’ He glares at her for a moment before helping her to her feet.

‘’Promise me that if their behaviour escalates you will tell me.’’

Janes lips thin as she considers this, rolling her arm out from behind her back and nods slightly in his direction.

He snorts in disbelief but will take her on her silent word for now.

****

September

‘’What’s this?’’

Jane held out her hand and gently waved about the emerald ribbon now fluttering about.

‘’It is a gift.’’

‘’Yeah, I can see that! But why?’’

Thane feels his frills darken with embarrassment and he coughs to hide the sounds he is involuntarily making.

‘’I have researched human cultures and it is considered a past-time to present someone with a gift on the annual year of their birth. Happy Birthday… I believe is the term.’’ He quickly walks away – the thought of her not liking it when he had sacrificed a months’ worth of his allowance to purchase it, forgoing his favourite blend of tea – he did not want to see her expression of disappointment.

His world tilts sideways as the waif of a girl crashes once more into him from behind, her arms wrapping tightly around him. She squeezes him, almost painfully so, before releasing him. He turns cautiously and is shocked to see that her nose has reddened, her eyes are puffy and that her lower lip was wobbling precariously with unchecked emotion.

‘’Why are you crying?’’ Taking a step forward he reaches for her, but she is too preoccupied by viciously wiping her face, removing all evidence of letting her emotions get the best of her, to notice the offered hand of comfort.

‘’I’m not crying.’’

‘’You were clearly cry-‘’

‘’Shut up.’’ A foot stomp accompanies her outburst and from out of nowhere he surprises them both with a bark of laughter that has the rest of the class stop in their tracks. He hangs his head in shame, mortified at disturbing the peace.

Before this human girl causes him to behave even more erratically, he decides to leave. She grabs his hand, staring intently into his eyes.

‘’Thank you, Thane.’’ He does not comment on the two tears that run a zigzag tracks down her cheeks.

When he sees her the next day wearing the ribbon in her fiery red hair - a high ponytail on top of her head – he does not comment either, but his heart is warmed at the sight. 

****

December

‘’Koda!’’

He squawks in fright as Jane swing her sniper rifle in his direction, fear turning to anger as she all but throws the weapon to the floor to run to the male who had just entered the range.

He sniffs, disapproving of how the most notorious assassin in the galaxy lifts a laughing Jane into the air and trills a welcome and greeting to her. The undercurrent of his vibrations relaying his fondness clearly to anyone who listened.

He cannot understand why he feels a bitter burn in the pit of his stomach and turn his back on them, forcing his concentration back to his weapon and the augmentations scattered on the table around him.

‘’Thane! Come with. Koda is taking us to the canteen for some food!’’

He jolts as she grabs his hand and tugs at him, toppling the chair to the floor and he is dragged behind her.

‘’Sir, welcome back. I hope your mission was successful.’’ The greeting was forced and customary and the twinkle in Koda’s eyes at his tone of voice made him bristle. He detested the feeling that the assassin somehow knew something that he didn’t.

‘’Yes, thank you. Please, join Jane and I for dinner. Your lessons are over for the day. Everyone needs to eat.’’

He follows quietly behind them, Jane’s incessant chattering grating on his nerves. She should show greater respect to Koda. She shouldn’t be holding his hand or laughing with such joy. This was not the place for such behaviour.

Seated at their table, Koda leaves them to order their dishes and one of Janes’ swinging feet catches his shin. Hissing at the unexpected blow he glares at her, but she is so overjoyed at seeing Koda that no amount of his ire would dampen her spirit.

‘’I hope I got your order right.’’ Koda remarks as he sits down next to Jane and ruffles her hair, her ribbon dislodging from the bow she had shaped it into on the side of her head. She squeaks as it flutters to the floor. She snatches it before it hits the ground with an exaggerated sigh of relief.

‘’Thane got me a birthday present Koda. Isn’t he great?’’

The praise and gratitude conveyed through her words is so unexpected that he chokes on the water he sips and Koda bursts into laughter at his obvious discomfort.

‘’Did he now? Well, I brought you a gift as well. Here. Merry Christmas’’

Recovering from his near bout of drowning Thane observes the package being passed to Jane who eagerly takes it with a squeal of excitement.

‘’A visor? For me?’’ a litany of thank you’s explode from her mouth as she wraps her arms around Koda’s neck and Thane abruptly looks away, his hands bunched into tiny fists on his lap.

‘’If you will excuse me, I have forgotten that I have a prior arrangement.’’ With more attitude than he cares to admit to - Thane stands and bows for a fraction of a second before Koda’s words reach his ears.

‘’Whose do you like better?’’ his smirk can be heard in his voice and Thane can barely breath in anticipation of her answer.

‘’Both!’’ Jane chuckles and reties his ribbon, placing it on the back of her ponytail with a pat, her attachment to the item clear as she showed it off to the older Drell beside her.

If the rains of Kahje could have swept him away he would have surrendered willingly to the downpour.

Leaving the canteen behind he sends up a prayer as he reaches his rooms. He has no possessions other than his daily tunics of the same colour folded in the small cupboard in the corner. His desk holds various data pads of studying material, but he bypasses all of it. With a disgruntled snort, he seats his backside on the cold meditative mat before his bed.

Intending to meditate into a calmer state of mind than the confusing one he now found himself in, he repeated the mantras and closed his eyes.

The air in his lungs leave him as Jane bursts through his doors, two packets in hand and grins in his direction. ‘’Koda gave me permission to eat with you in your quarters. Here!’’

Jane plonks to the ground and disregarding his squawk of indignation when she starts to lay the various containers of food on the floor, she grabs a spoon and proceeds to dig into the first box.

‘’I was trying to meditate!’’ he scolds but she shrugs.

‘’Everyone needs to eat.’’

Each time she reaches for his food, he swats her hand away with a mixture of amusement and irritation. The bow in her hair makes an appearance each time she leans over and in the end all he can do is laugh as she loses her balance and topples face first into his soup.

****

At times, the days would pass slowly – his studies and training all that mattered. On the days when he would see Jane, she came to him with black eyes and more bruises. He has begged her to reveal the names of the students that have taken to bullying her but each time she just laughs and waves him off. He applies the medigel with the greatest of care around each mark and he marvels that she could withstand such injuries with the soft skin that she has. When he found out who was hurting her, tormenting her – he would surely repay them in kind. Arashu would understand and Amonkira would guide him. 

****

He has made his first kill.

He feels devoid and empty of emotion. His room is suffocating, the sterile walls the same as they have always been but all he can see and relive in his memories is the precise moment his bullet pierced his Turian target through the back of his head.

_Blue blood squirts as heavily as the rains of Kahje, spreading across the expanse of the room. A brief, gargled, choking sound before the person that Turian was, died forever with a simple flex of his trigger finger._

Thane shivers. His body feels cold, his heart is racing, and he clenches his fingers around the weapon he has yet to return to the locker assigned to him. He does not weep. He has never. Now would not be the time either. He did not kill this male. His weapon did.

_He did not kill. His weapon did._

Thane repeats this numerous times, but no amount of meditative chanting can soothe him. He has never been overly religious but right now he prays to all the gods to grant him a moment of peace. A moment where he was not reliving taking the life of another over, and over in startling clarity.

A familiar sound pattern of feet walks through his door and he knows who it is without looking up. Only one person would have the gall to enter without permission. She has been doing so for years, entering his rooms, spending all her free time with him, talking, laughing, teasing, arguing. She is always here.

She sits next to him on the floor, she places her hand palm up on his thigh and he looks at this strange little hand, with its dainty tips and immediately places his own in it. She does not speak to him, does not poke or pester for details. He would forever be grateful for her presence in his life.

She understands death better than he ever could, but tonight she does not compare stories, does not offer platitudes. She hums a song quietly and slowly his heart begins to beat properly.

****

When Jane makes her first kill at twelve years of age - he spends hours with her, holding her in his arms as she cries for her parents. He wishes she had never been brought here; this way she would have been spared this pain. But as she fell asleep in his arms, strange human mucus covering her sleeve, soft snores accompanying the song he thrummed for her – he was grateful that he could provide her the same comfort she once gave him.

****

‘’Get off me!’’

Thane can hear her shriek of anger from two classrooms away and without excusing himself to his Professor, he dashes down the corridor to her classroom. Jane’s xenolinguistics lessons had ended half an hour ago so he did not understand why she would still be there.

Ramming through the door which creaked offensively upon opening, Thane hissed in disgust as he caught sight of Jane.

‘’Get off her now, Feron!’’ Thane snarled, his frills thrumming with unspent anger as his breaths were drawn in quickly.

Jane cursed from the floor, a cut lip, a bruised and closed eye, shirt torn open over one shoulder.

He roared with rage at the sight. Two accomplices held her down while Feron straddled her lap.

‘’What? We can’t also play with your pet?’’ Feron spat down in Janes direction who laughed as she caught sight of her attackers blackened eye. Without consciously thinking about it, Thane bunched his fist and power emanated through and out of his arm. Blue biotics burst forth without his consent and released, an orb headed straight ahead that blazed as it travelled.

Feron flew to the side of the room with such force the wall dented where his head connected. Seeing the power begin to illuminate him the other two Drell gave cries of shock and released her, a kick to Janes’ head as they scrambled past- eliciting another curse from her which nearly made Thane blush.

Thane ran the last few steps and fell to his knees beside her, shrugging off his coat in one swift movement to cover the rips and shreds of the shirt that revealed her skin.

‘’Asshole.’’ Jane curses in Feron’s direction and while he wholeheartedly agrees with her assessment, he has never cursed in his life and was not about to take up the habit now.

‘’Is he alive?’’ her question startles him, and he frowns as he observes the motionless Drell in the corner. A minute movement of breathing has Thane blow out a small huff of relief. The consequences of his actions had he killed the boy would have been severe.

At sixteen he has taken several lives to date but never once had he lost control and killed out of anger.

‘’Why were they attacking you this time?’’ He grabs her hand and pulls her to a standing position, arranging his coat arounds her shoulders and she snorts in anger.

‘’They wanted to see what a bra looked like. You know because us fleshy humans grow breasts when we hit puberty.’’ She walks to Feron and rolls him over with her foot.

Thane wonders for a moment whether she would kick him while he was unconscious, but she sighs and opens her messaging app.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’I’m letting my Professor know that he is needed here and I’m alerting medical that they should come as well.’’

‘’I see.’’

He attempts to take steadying breaths, he can still feel his biotics coursing through him, his adrenaline sky high. He closes his eyes and brings his hands together to pray for forgiveness for his actions and yet he also asks for understanding as to why he acted as he did.

The realisation that he would kill for Jane without hesitation was a soul shattering one. When did she have this power over him? She could command him to kill everyone in this facility and he would obey in an instant.

‘’You’ve gotten taller.’’

Her remark is so out of the blue that he blinks stupidly in her direction. She moves to stand in front of him and wraps her hands around his clasped ones.

‘’Thank you, Thane. My hero.’’ She chuckles and her breath ghosts over him as she presses her lips to his cheek.

It is warm, comforting. Completely inappropriate and bewildering. Welcome and perplexing.

He steps back hastily, scowling at her giggle and for the first time in what felt like years he looked at her properly.

Jane’s red hair hung low on her back, brushing just above her trousers. The ribbon he had given her all those years ago had faded marginally and was loosely tied around her forehead in a band that kept the locks of hair out of her face. Spots decorated the bridge of her nose; the tops of her cheeks and a smattering of light orange ran down the sides of her arm down to her hands.

She was willowy, lean but toned and flexible. A body of an assassin, years of proper dieting and training honing her into the perfect weapon suited for their work. Thane gazes into her eyes and sucks in a breath.

_Arashu save him but she was beautiful._

How had he never noticed the different shades of green in her eyes?

‘’Thane! Snap out of it. I’m sorry okay? I shouldn’t have kissed you.’’ Her hands are wrapped each bicep, concern for him and fear of his reaction heavily reflected in her emerald gaze.

His heart skyrockets as he takes in all this newfound information. ‘’Think no more of it. Don’t do it again.’’ He mutters before mentally kicking himself for speaking without thinking. He can see the hurt in her eyes and how she pulls the coat tighter across her chest in vulnerability.

Before he has the chance to explain or apologise the room is filled with medical staff who trill their confusion at the situation. Jane is led away by her Professor, the Hanar firing rapid but achingly polite questions at her as she leaves the room without a backward glance in his direction.

He feels as hollow as the first time he killed someone.

****

September – One year later

****

‘’Theron, to your left!’’

The simulation he was currently in was meant to expand on the bond between him and his peers who had recently joined the Compact.

He saw a flash of red and Jane fired in his direction. The laser dot trembled on his chest over his heart and he dived for cover. She had attempted several times to knock him out of the squad.

‘’Come now, Jane. You’ll make me feel lonely if the only person you ever focus on is Thane.’’

Thane scowled at the male beside him and recalled what he knew about him.

 _Theron, fifteen, biotic, adept at hand to hand, lacking in weapon skills_. He scowled as Jane pealed with laughter.

‘’Aww, don’t feel bad big guy. I’m coming for you next.’’

‘’Well, well. I’ll be looking forward to that.’’ The male had the audacity to wink at her and her response included a flustered curse, a rude hand gesture and a scarlet beacon of embarrassment plastered across her face.

‘’Focus on the task at hand.’’ Thane barked at the male, irrationally irritated at the pairs banter on the field. Since when had she developed such a rapport with a male of his species? The situation between them would have to be rectified… and soon.

He missed the friendship he once had with Jane. It had been a year of her withdrawing from him. A year where she stopped barging into his room at ungodly hours to talk, eat, read, or just generally annoy him. He missed her laughter when he said something witty, the hand on his arm when she offered comfort or advise. He missed her.

The phantom feeling of her kiss on his cheek weighed him down and his regret often threatened to consume him. He had never found the right time to broach the subject.

It was her sixteenth birthday today. He had a gift prepared for her, but he was unsure if it would be welcome.

‘’Ha! Got you, you cheeky bastard.’’

Looking to his right he saw Theron curled up in a ball as the bodysuit he wore ran currents of electricity through him as consequence for being shot. He smirks, deliriously pleased at the scene.

He was so distracted by the sight he didn’t notice Jane until she was right behind him, barrel of her gun pushing into his back. She was close enough to him that he unwillingly sucked in a breath to smell her scent once more. To feel the warmth that had gradually disappeared from his life this past year.

‘’Do you surrender?’’ She asked sweetly with a grind of her weapon further into his spine. He grunted as he weighed his options.

Spinning around he knocked her feet from beneath her, her back hitting the ground hard as he seized the opportunity to pin her hands above her head, straddling her stomach. He hissed as her nails dug into the soft skin between his scales on his wrists and shoved her back down when she bucked.

‘’Do you?’’ his breath came rapidly, the thrill, the excitement of being so near her again clouded his judgement.

His body moved as if separate from his mind.

He kissed her.

The sweetness of her lips against his own made his body thrum with a want he had never experienced before. He felt her stiffen and he pulled back in concern. Her eyes were hooded. Her cheeks a rose red, a slow grin spread across her face and leaning forward she kissed him back. She sucked his lower lip causing him to shamelessly let out a sound he had never taught her. Arousal.

The claxon sounded around them declaring the match over. A tie. He came to his senses with a crashing speed and ducked his head in embarrassment.

‘’Happy Birthday, Jane.’’

She kissed him again in response and his heart soared.

He felt her warmth and his feelings returned.

****

March – 6 Months Later

****

‘’Kiss me.’’ She breathes into his ear as she strides up behind him, her arms encircling his waist, her hands bunching at the material of his undershirt.

‘’We cannot. Have you forgotten the trip to the Medbay so soon? We have combat training and examinations today. We cannot afford for you to be in a mentally unbalanced state.’’

Jane snickers. ‘’Who knew swapping spit with you would get me high?’’ she bites softly on the point between his shoulder and neck and his chest vibrates with the sensation, a rumble escaping his lips and he turns around and dislodges her arms gently.

‘’We will also be late if you carry on like this. You know as well as I that courtship between students is forbidden.’’

‘’Yeah but is not like... you know... we’re sleeping together. All we’ve done is kiss.’’

‘’Are you not mine then?’’ he quizzes, and she pouts. ‘’Of course, but they don’t have to know that.’’

She leans in for a kiss, but he turns his head and instead catches her cheek. He wraps his arms around her and presses her tightly to his chest.

‘’Let us be sensible please?’’

‘’Ugh, fine... Gods, you’re killing me.’’

He chuckles as she retrieves her leather jacket from the floor, tying her hair up and twisting a knot into the back with his ribbon before pulling a few strands around her face. 

‘’We’re on a mission together, soon aren’t we?’’ she hums as she collects the rest of her belongings for class.

‘’I believe so. We will be headed to a colony on Sideus. A week’s travel onboard our vessel. Our target is a male in his mid-forties. We cannot determine his species, but he appears humanoid. He always wears a mask with a golden bird painted on the back. He has escaped several assassins thus far and by rumours I’ve heard he is impossible to put down. It is strange though, all the assassins we have sent after him have all survived.’’

‘’Oh?’’ she stops by the door and waits for him as he dresses in his formal tunic.

‘’Yes, they were beaten of course, unconscious, but the injuries they received were never life threatening. All survived. I have the dossier on him here should you wish to review it before we leave.’’

‘’Definitely.’’ She shrugs her bag over her shoulder. ‘’Let’s be the one to put this guy down, shall we?’’

He reaches the doorway and cups her face – ‘’Let us be safe while doing so though.’’

He cannot escape the quick kiss she steals from his lips and he swats at her backside as they leave.

****

One Week Later

****

‘’He could be Batarian.’’ Jane hisses with such vehemence that for a moment Thane could barely recognise her from the hostility blazing from her eyes.

‘’I deduced the same when I investigated his notes. He has affiliations with several known members of the Hegemony. Slavers, raiders… people of ill-repute.’’

‘’I’m going to enjoy killing this bastard.’’

‘’Jane… one should never take pleasure in taking a life.’’ He scolds and she flips him off with a wave.

‘’What if he was one of the ones that killed my parents? My sister?’’ she growls and sighing with exasperation he takes the data pad from her hand and slides it onto the desk beside him.

‘’Look at me.’’ He cradles her face in his hands. ‘’We have a purpose, a role here within the Primacy. Do not do anything reckless. I do not wish to lose you.’’

She kisses his palm and nods.

****

‘’Dammit… God dammit.’’

Thane wakes from his light slumber and looks at the doors across from his bed. His gun has been in his hand from the moment he had awoken. He listens intently for any sign of danger but another colourful curse identifies his visitor.

‘’Jane?’’

‘’Yeah… sorry, I’ll go. Nevermind.’’

He jumps out of bed, wincing as his feet hit the cold steel floor of the ship. ‘’No, wait there.’’

The doors open and he takes in her appearance. Her hair is in disarray, as if though she had combed it with her fingers in frustration countless times, her lower lip was caught between her teeth and she worried at it, bringing a hand up and down to her mouth in agitation.

‘’What is causing you so much distress?’’ he motions for her to enter his quarters and she stumbles into the room to land on his bed. Lying on her back she crosses an arm over her eyes, he watches as she breathes in deeply, fighting an internal battle.

‘’I had a dream. A nightmare. I haven’t had one in years. I saw … I saw my parents die again. I remember Sissy screaming as they tried to drag her away. My dad grabbed for her and they shot him. My mom tried to get Sissy as well but then they just shot her too. Sissy bit one of them and they smacked her through the face with a pistol but when she went down - her head hit the corner of a table and she just… died. She was eleven years old.’’

A trill of comfort makes its way out his lips and he crosses the room to lay down next to her on his side.

‘’I’m sorry I’m saddling you with this… I just couldn’t get back to sleep.’’

She isn’t crying but his heart breaks for her, nonetheless. He encourages her to face him, his hand rubbing her arm in comfort as they stare at one another.

‘’I have never asked for fear of invading of your privacy but … how did you survive?’’

She intertwines their fingers and snorts quietly. ‘’I hid. Like a coward. My mother had pushed me into one of the ventilation ducts in the floor in the mess hall. She told me not come out unless she called for me.’’ Bringing his hand up she cradles it to her chest.

‘’The first week I was terrified. All the bodies were just lying there on the floor and all the food I needed to eat was right behind them. They had taken so many people but the dead they left where they fell. After a while, my hunger overrode my fear. I lived off what rations my mother had shown me to make and I went straight back to sleeping in my duct right after.’’

She kissed the tops of his knuckles and he purred softly as she moved closer to him. His bare chest relished the warmth of her body, the feel of her heartbeat through their clasped hands soothing.

‘’Eventually Koda found me.’’ She smiles in the dark and for the first time Thane feels no jealousy at the mention of him. ‘’He’s like my father you know. I’d be rotting in some shithole on earth, running the streets or worse, I could be dead, if he hadn’t found me.’’

‘’I will remember to thank him for saving you.’’

Leaning forward he kisses her nose, her eyes, her forehead, and she sighs - the tension and agitation of her dreams fading away.

‘’Thank you, Thane.’’ He hums and shrugs ‘’I am always here to listen.’’

An hour passes and Thane is positive she is sleeping when a soft snore floats up from beneath the quilt he has covered them with. He is - by all accounts - quite indecently dressed. His chest is bare, only a thin layer for trousers. He carefully moves Janes’ arm off his waist, the movement as slow and delicate as he could muster for fear of waking her.

He could not sleep. Not with her so close to him. They had never spent a night in one another arms. In seventeen years of life, he had never shared a bed with another and considering their romantic relationship it wasn’t proper to start doing so now.

He has barely put a foot out of the bed before her voice calls out to him.

‘’Come back to bed, Thane.’’ She rolls over onto her back and squints in the darkness as she runs a hand down his scaled arm.

‘’Jane… I must confess that I am unable to sleep with you so close to me.’’

‘’Oh… oh, okay. I’ll go.’’ He pushes her back when she makes to get up and she gasps ‘’You misunderstand Jane. I have thought of nothing else but having you in my bed for a year… now that you are right where I want you – I, I am struggling to control the urge I have - to do most improper things with you.’’

Jane begins to laugh – loud and joyous in the dark. ‘’You’re saying you want to do naughty things with me?’’ she sniggers, and he rolls his eyes, turning to her and kissing her without warning.

The kiss was perfect, a culmination of months of practicing, months of frustration of the sexual kind. She frames his face and moans when his tongue circles her own.

He ends the kiss abruptly when evidence of his arousal presses against her and removes himself from the bed with a self-depreciating chortle and a head shake at his lack of willpower when it came to her.

‘’Go to bed, Jane.’’ He pleads half-heartedly.

Jane growls under her breath. ‘’Yeah, sure – train me to kill people from the age of seven but god forbid we have sex at sixteen.’’

A guffaw escapes him, and he gently pushes her out of bed, a playful struggle taking place as she attempts to kiss him repeatedly while he dodges her.

Eventually though she stands and stretches, making her way to the door, a slight sway in her step. She giggles and Thane curses his species for being intoxicating to humans.

‘’You’re letting me leave high _and_ dry tonight. How mean.’’ She winks at him and as the doors close.

‘’Amonkira, bless you.’’ he sniggers.

He loves this girl.


	3. Chapter 3

‘’Target spotted. Third floor balcony. Moving west.’’

Thane follows the target with his scope, his laser dot switched off for the moment as reconnaissance takes place. Jane hums with impatience, thrumming her fingers on the railing causing Thane’s eyebrow to twitch with each sound.

‘’Target?’’

‘’He is entering the elevator, destination ground floor.’’

‘’I haven’t seen any Batarians. This is a mining colony. Population of one hundred and fifty-four.’’

Thane cocks a brow as he sees the lines of her mouth in a grim line.

‘’Relax Jane.’’

‘’Yeah, sorry. I just want to get this done and go home.’’ He reaches out to grab her arm, squeezing slightly to remind her she is not alone in this.

Several hours later in early hours of the morning their target moves into the open. A shuttle craft has arrived, a Batarian sigil painted on the side and Jane cursed, biting the skin around thumb. Ten Batarians stepped off and immediately greeted their target, grasping one another arms and animatedly talking.

‘’I fucking knew it.’’ Jane spits and readies her rifle.

‘’You’re on point here, Thane. Say the word and I’ll take this bastard out.’’

Thane calculated that their chance of success was at sixty percent. Seventy, if they could get close enough to use his biotics on the field.

A whirr of another shuttle craft made them crane their necks upwards. Another three shuttles joined right after and the fear and hostility rolling off Jane made the air in his throat catch.

‘’Screw this. I’m not letting them take these people!’’

Thane yells out her name as she breaks cover and jumps to balcony below. Grabbing his weapons hastily he vaults the bannister and runs after her.

She has armed herself with an assault rifle and lagging behind her he watches as she unclips a gas grenade from her utility belt and lobs it into the circular gathering the invaders had formed.

Gunfire and chaos ensued. He pulled on his respirator as plumes of knockout gas invaded every crevice of the field. Jane has taken cover behind a shuttle craft and was being fired upon from three directions. The target they had come here to put down was shouting but Thane’s panic at losing sight of Jane from his sniper position on the field above made the noise around him garbled.

One by one the Batarians succumb to the onslaught of Janes ferocity, body parts ripped clean off from precision gunfire. An arm here, a leg there – the carnage made him close his eyes briefly to dispel the images of his soon to be lover decimating a field of enemies.

With a deep, steadying breath he found their target through his crosshairs and squeezed lightly.

The target fell to the ground, clutching at his chest and Jane moves quickly to confirm the kill, standing over his body with a maniacal smile, her eyes lost and unfocused, her chest heaving with adrenaline.

He joins her on the field, cautious that some may have survived, he checks each corpse with a nudge of his steel tipped boot.

He nods to Jane as she looks over her shoulder, her black visor glinting in the fading moonlight.

‘’D…d’lana.’’ The masked man gurgles and Thane reels from the sound of the familiar voice.

Jane drops her weapon in disbelief, her smile wiped from her face as utter agony washes through her entire body. She drops to her knees and removes the man’s helmet with an anguished cry at the sight of his purple and silver scaled face. 

‘’Ko-da?’’ she murmurs in pain. ‘’No, no, no… ‘’ she drags him on top of her knees, his bullet wound in his chest leaking blood profusely all over her suit.

‘’Why?’’ she sobs, cradling his head as she begins to rock slightly back in forth, tears streaming down her face.

‘’Data … packet.’’ Koda lifts an arm shakily to his breast pocket and Jane shakes with the intensity of her overwhelming emotions.

‘’Don’t do this to me…Don’t do this to me. You’re my dad. You can’t die.’’

Koda smiles up at his daughter, a bloodied hand reaching for her face and trills a sound of comfort. Thane watches as the woman he loves unravels and loses the light within that had kept her going.

She rocks his body back and forth as she clutches him tightly to her chest and within the space of a breath - Koda's last leaves him with Jane silently screaming his name.

Thane’s whole world began to collapse around him. He has no words he can offer, no excuses, no apologies and simply stands rooted to the spot in shock.

‘’You killed him.’’ Jane whispers so low he barely catches her words.

He drops to his knees beside her and reaches out to her, but she slaps his hand away with a sneer.

‘’I did not know.’’ He murmurs. ‘’I did not know.’’


End file.
